Black Iniquity
by Tauni
Summary: HALLOWEEN FIC;; A dark foe is waiting around the corner. You can not fight it, you can not touch it, you can not beat it. It will win the battle and there is nothing you can do about it. When this foe finds the boys how will they ever escape alive?
1. don't close your eyes

_AN: Hello! Wow, my first mulitchapter fic in quiet some time... I dont even have one on THIS account, its all on my shared account crackernchinkinc! Anyways. This is a halloween-like fic but I know that it wont be done by Halloween. But hey, I got it up before hallween right? Brownie Points? .... Please?_

_Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles. See, that was easy, wasn't it?_

"Can we go home yet, its _coooold_!" Mikey whined, putting on his best pout face as he looked at Leo in the dark, his blue eyes reflecting in the moonlit midnight sky.

Leo turned to the youngest, his own hazel eyes shining, "Ten more blocks then we'll hit the sewers, Mike." Damnit, the dark must be interfering with the pout face, because it generally works with Leo. Holding back a sigh Michelangelo rubbed at his arms, the October air cooling his skin just about as quick as an ice cube could.

It was just Mikey and good old Fearless up here, doing a quick training run slash looking for baddies. But, seriously, what kind of bad guys are going to come out in this weather? No, more importantly, what kind of _good_ person, who the baddies would do, yanno, _bad _stuff to, be out here in this type of cold? None, that's right, zero, zip, zilch, nada! Does Leo listen to reason, though? Noooooooo.

"Ok, fine, but let's get going!" Mike said and leapt to the next building. Before they had left, Don had told them both to wear coats. Did they listen? Nooooooo. Now, Mikey was regretting, A lot.

Raph was currently home with a cold, although don't mention this to him. He thinks he's some sort of God who is immune to getting sick. The three brothers all know better, told him differently, but does he listen to them? Nooooooo. Who else is seeing a tread here?

Anyways, at first Raph just had the sniffles, like they all got around this time of year when summer turns into fall. Don warned him not to go outside, Raph ignored him, ended up puking his guts out the next night because of a stupid cold, like he does every god damn year. You'd think he'd learn, that Raphael, but no, he had to keep being hardheaded and doing whatever the hell he wants.

Look at how far that got him, sick at home with Doc Don hanging around him like a mother hen, clucking at every adverse thing that he did. _Tisk Tisk_.

Then Leo, ever working Leo, called for a quick training run. Raph, of course, was excused (although he fought valiantly to go) and Don gave the excuse that he had to take care of Raph (at which Raph growled that he could take care of himself. But with more swears.) So that left little, innocent, cold-hater Michelangelo, to go alone with hard, determined, slave driver Leonardo. Mike knew from that very moment that this was bound to be a freakin _blast._

Not.

"L-l-l-leeeoooo!" Mikey whined a few buildings after that, making sure to emphasize his shivering perhaps a bit too much by rubbing his arms and shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Leo gave Mike that look. Yanno, that one that said that if he did not keep going he might explode if he does not finish what he set himself to do. Mikey pulled off his pout face again, his teeth clattering against each other for the moment.

Luckily, a small light was just to the right of them, lighting up the door that was the entrance to the rooftop for people who live in the building. If not for that light Mike was sure that he would make them finish those ten blocks but, as it was, it threw enough illumination on his face that his pout worked just as it _should have_ the first time.

"Yeah, yeah, ok. Go find a manhole, I'm right behind you." Score one to Michelangelo! With a grin that could melt girls hearts (if only they would stop screaming and/or fainting first) Mike jogged to the side of the building and looked down.

Manhole, check!

Placing his hands on the side of the building to silently vault himself over, Mikey turned my head back to indicate to Leo that he had already found what he was sent out to do. Or, at least, that was his intention. Kinda hard when Leo was nowhere to be seen.

"Leo…?" Mikey called; quiet unsure why his voice has suddenly dipped into a whisper as if a masked man with a long knife was behind the corner. Coughing slightly to himself to fill the empty silence he tried again, his voice now a normal volume, "Leo where'd you go?"

His muscles tensed as he heard nothing except the rising speed of his heart in his ears. Peeling his hands away from the edge of the roof Mike walked forward, casting his eyes everywhere looking for the sight of leaf green skin and dark blue bandana.

"Leo, come on, stop joking around." Mikey's voice wavered at the end even though he had tried to keep it steady. Fear of an enemy took control of his mind as his fingers felt the comfort of warn down wood.

Slowly Michelangelo walked to the other end of the roof, his weapons now out and held tightly in his palms. Leo was not the joking type, sure he had his moments but this was more of a Raph thing to do. Leo never pulled this kind of crap on Mikey; he knew how much the youngest hated it.

"Leo?" another uncertain call, his voice defiantly shaking this time.

His ninja senses started to tingle, literally on the back of his neck as he did a one-eighty and faced a shadow that he swore had just moved. Mike's arm trembled as he started to swirl one nunchuck nervously in his hand, calling out a quiet, "Hello?"

No one responded, and not knowing what else to do and with his fear starting to trample all reasonable thought he reached into his belt and pulled out his shell cell, flicking it open and squinting at the light that came from it as it battered his dark weary eyes. Fumbling, he pressed the button for Don's phone and listened to it ring.

Everything happened so quickly then, Mike was not really sure just what, and in what order everything transpired.

While waiting for Don to pick up he had starting pacing back and forth and stepped half way into the shadows. Next thing he know something colder then the arctic was wrapped around him, black and strangling as it entangled itself around him.

The sound of his phone clattering to the ground hardly meant anything to him, all of attention focused on getting this new, unknown evil off of his body.

It had no form, no definite shape, it just was. And it was _cold_, but in a different, terrifying sense. Not temperature wise, although it could easily be mistaking for a temperature, but this was more of a psychological cold, a fear so strong that it squeezed your heart and ripped apart your brain.

And it was currently pulling Mikey deeper into the sinister unknown of the dark shadow. Without thinking twice Mike fought back, but quickly found that this evil had nothing he could physically hit, nothing he could beat with a chuck or, if it came to it, bite with his teeth.

Mike screamed once but it was quickly cut off as the black iniquity curled itself around his mouth, effectively quieting him.

The last thing Michelangelo heard was Don's seemingly small voice as it screamed his own name from the speaker of the phone that lay forgotten on the ground.

The last thing Michelangelo saw was Leo's limp body tangled up in this unknown enemy.

The last thing Michelangelo felt was the cold essence completely cover him, devouring him in its grasp and thrusting him into unconsciousness.

PAGEBREAK

"Raph, please drink the orange juice and _then_ we will talk about you going to the dojo!" Don kept his voice calm, as all good doctors learn to do. And right now Donnie was certainly in the doctor role.

Raph glared at him, his eyes slightly cloudy from illness as he tried to stare his younger brother down. Knowing this tactic almost as well as Leo, Don ignored it, making a show of folding his arms and waiting for him to drink the liquid.

With a snarl that might have sounded more feral had it not been for his sore throat he grabbed the glass violently, making some of the golden substance splash to the ground and Don had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes at this. So childish sometimes.

Pleased as Don was that he was drinking the orange juice, he already knew the answer to the question that he was bound to spring on him the second he finished the glass. Sure enough once the glass was empty, and after he wiped his face with the back of his hand he turned on Don again, a look of determination dominate on his face.

"Ok, I drank yer damn juice, now if ya 'ould please get outta my way 'n I won't be a bother to ya no more." Raph said, his voice muffled by a stuffy nose, as he stood, trying to hide a slight waver in his step that was sure to be his equal labarum trying to establish itself in his sickened state, but Donatello easily saw right through it.

"Raph, lay back down and I will get you some sou-"

"I don' wan' more fuckin' soup, Don!" He snapped, taking another step towards the purple clad warrior. Expecting this reaction Don placed his hands on Raph's shoulders and started to turn him around, pushing back towards the bed Don let go of him, half way enjoying the stunned look on his face.

_Yeah, Raph, you are that sick, you can't fight me off._

"Lay down. I will be back with some water and more cough drops." He visibly tensed but sat down on his bed anyways. Not lying down was probably some act of rebellion, something to make him feel better about being pushed around by Big Bad Doctor Don.

Once Don's shell was turned he finally allowed his eyes to roll, pushing the door open and walking out into the living room. Master Splinter was sitting in his chair, a heavy blanket covering his lap and legs and one had resting on top with the remote laying lightly in his curved fingers. With a quiet sigh Donnie sat down on the couch, rubbing at his neck with his hands as he saw some melodrama playing out on the screens.

"Is Raphael giving you too much trouble, my son?" Splinter asked, his wise old eyes turning away from the show and watching Donatello with interest.

_When is he not?_ Don thought smartly, but kept it off of his tongue, "He's just being… Raph, is all. Nothing that I can't deal with." _Nothing I have not dealt with every single fall._

"I can go in and speak with him," Splinter suggested, his eyes flicking to Raph's door for a moment before finding their way back to Don.

"No, it's alright Sensei." Don gave a small smile and heaved himself back on his feet, making his way towards the kitchen.

Don hummed to himself as he looked in the fridge, looking for something that Raph might enjoy more soup but would still be gentle on his upset stomach. With a shrug he grabbed an apple, knowing that Raph would bitch and moan no matter what he gave him unless it was a ten ounce steak cooked rare and a heaping of fatty fries.

Knowing that anything other than the simplest of things would leave the sick turtle throwing everything up in a few hours, Don knew that he would just have to give Raph what was good for him, whether he liked it or not.

_Leo and Mike need to be back soon,_ he thought to himself as he opened up the cupboard and pulled out a clean glass, _If they stay out much longer I am going to have three sick turtles on my hands, and one is quite enough._

After feeling up the glass with cold water from the sink he traveled quickly to the bathroom and opened up the glass fronted cabinets, pulling back two bottles before finding the half empty bag of cough drops and made a mental note to ask April to pick up a few more bags. During this time of the year they would need it, everyone was bound to get a mild cough.

As he made his way to Raphael's room his shell cell went off. Donnie tisked to himself when he found that the only way he would be able to get into his belt was to drop things and hurried his face, opening the door with his toe and placing the glass and bag on Raph's bedside. Raph, it seemed, had given up for the moment on being stubborn and was lying down, his hand fumbling with the bag of medicine candy the second they hit the table.

Now that his hands were free Don quickly got the phone out, knowing that it would keep on ringing for quite some time before it went to voice mail, for that's how he set it up. When he was in his lab he could not reach his phone right at the moment it rang, he did important things in there that took time and concentration, and could not be done with one ear plastered to the phone.

"Hey, Mike, what's u- Mikey?" Don's body tensed up as he heard scuffling in the background, "Mikey, pick up the phone, wha-" A scream that was branded Michelangelo in bold red lettering, "MIKEY!"

"Whuts goin on, Don? Donnie, whuts happenin?" Raph's voice, congested and with a heavy accent, nearly drowned out the soft sounds of more scuffling and Donatello gave a sharp hand sign, telling the sick turtle to shush, which he quickly did.

As quick as it started the sounds ended, the phone having no sound other than a light breeze over where the mike was located. For a moment Don was still, his eyes wide and his mind (along with his heart) racing at top speed. Raph pushed himself up off of his bed and placed a hand on the olive green's shoulder, turning him around.

The touch jump started Don and his eyes met Raph's, "Call Leo's cell," He ordered, placing his cell in Raph's hands. Don ran out towards his lap, Raph not far behind him with the phone attached to his ear. Pressing the button to turn on his computer and waited, tapping his fingers and pacing, as the machine seemed to warm up as slow as a turtle during winter.

"He's not answerin'!" Raph said but made no move to close the phone, listening to it ring endlessly.

"Finally!" Donatello whispered as the computer was ready to be worked on. With practiced ease he opened up the program that would show where his trackers were and was pleased to see that one open quickly, and then with worry creasing his brow he clicked the icon that would show where all the cell shells were.

Don's was in the lab, Raph's in his room. Leo's was nowhere to be seen, which amplified his worry tenfold. Mikey's, however, showed to be sitting on a rooftop. Whether that meant that it was still on the youngest or not could not be deteremined, however with the evidence of the phone call Don found himself quiet certain that the phone was not on his brother. But it was a start.

Don snatched up his pre-filled duffle bag that had been filled with medical supplies and other things that could be helpful in any situation. "Raph, get a coat and your weapons, we're going to get them."

Raph nodded and turned sharply, running to his room while Don went into the living room, unsurprised to see that Splinter could already tell that something was wrong and informed him of the circumstances, promising to inform him of their progress, and then met up with Raph at the door way.

"Let's see what Mikey got inta this time, eh?" Raph said as he handed Don a coat and put on his own.

_AN: Ok, there's the first chapter! I know it was not terribly long but I think I am going to keep the chapters about this length, give or take. Hey, that means that I can whip them out faster! Btw, I am in college and sometimes its hard to find a night with no homework but I promise that, if I take a little longer on posting chapters, I did not give up on it. Live just sucks. _


	2. don't try to hide

_AN: So, for some reason fanfiction decided against letting pagebreaks work for me yesterday. You have to do them as you go or something its weird. Anyways, here's chapter two! Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Dont own not making any money what so ever.  
_

Raphael fingered the hilts of his weapons as a cold October breeze tried to infiltrate his coat. Don was just ahead of him, jogging at a quick, steady pace to the building that held Mikey's phone on its rooftop.

He felt the anger that he always had such a hard time controlling start to grow within his chest. It took a lot of effort and strength to keep that lion half-way tamed even in the best of times, and tonight was far from 'the best' on his list. Raph was sick, tired, still hungry, and, worst of all, something had happened to his brothers. Something he could not control, could not help with, could do nothing about for the time being.

That feeling of helplessness clenched his heart and hurt him more then he would ever admit.

"This is it," Was Donnie whispering because it was night, or because there was possibly a threat just around the preverbal corner?

Without another word and not giving Raph time to think upon this matter Don started climbing the stairs that led to the top, silent but quick as he ascended the building. Raph followed just as silent, trying to ignore the slight stumble that his sickened state caused him to do when he leapt upon a platform.

Either Don missed the stumble, or was ignoring it as well.

Carefully Donatello peaked over the side, barely breathing in the cold night air. Nothing seemed amiss other than a small, forlorn round shape on the ground. He knew what it was immediately, and frowned at the fact that his suspicions were, indeed, confirmed.

_Sometimes, I hate being right all the time…_

Mikey's phone had been separated from his being.

Don crept onto the building, feeling more than seeing Raph do the same just behind him. He threw a flashlight that he had fished out of his duffle bag and then turned his own on, careful to not disturb the rooftop.

The building was an older one, and whoever owned it had yet to do a maintenance check in the last, oh twenty years. Not that Don was going to complain, that meant that the tar that made up the ground was worn down and pebbles scattered the area, which showed any recent disturbance.

And boy, there had been a disturbance…

"Over 'ere" came Raph's congested voice, and Don carefully headed his way.

"Scuffle marks…" Don muttered once he reached his brother's side, "Mikey?" He questioned, looking at Raph.

Raphael had always been a fantastic tracker, better then Leo most of the time. Raph bent his legs at his knees and went in for a closer look, one hand feathering the mark, "Yeh, think so." His fingers brushed the domed shell cell, still open and a dial tone coming softly from its speaker. Quietly he picked it up, closed it shut with a snap, and placed it in his belt.

_Mikey'll want that back, and I plan on doing that for him._

Carefully they both looked around, finding more scuffles as Mike had kicked and fought at… something. Strangely there were no marks from Leo, but that was not too disconcerting, Leo was nearly a ninja master, and could easily not have made any marks.

What Don and Raph found more frightening was the fact that there were no marks _not_ made by Mikey. Everything that they saw they could trace to Michelangelo. How could this have happened with no enemy?

The marks led into the dark shadow that was cast by a neighboring building, but the shadow was no more once Don threw his light at it and followed the scuffles farther in.

They stopped, just like that, at the edge of the building, as if Mike had been... Don's forehead creased in worry and, with trembling hands, he looked over the edge.

"Don?" Raph's voice came to him and jolted him back into reality. He had not realized that he had been looking over the edge for so long, "He's not… They didn't…" Raph seemed to be at a loss for words when he realized just why Don might have looked over the edge and down to the street.

"Wha-Huh? Oh no, Raph, he's…. Not there." Don said, forcing himself away from the edge, trying to scare away the images that his imagination kept conjuring up of his brother smeared on the pavement below.

Raph looked down, his light flashing one more over the tracks that scored the rooftop as Don leaned against the ledge, his mind going faster than a Ferrari in trying to figure out what had happened. The thoughts of Mikey, whether he was alive or not, in pain or not, kept plaguing his thoughts and made it hard to concentrate on the problem at hand.

"So, if 'e's not down dere, den where did dey take 'im?" Raph asked, sniffing in the cold air and wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"I don't know, I don't see any evidence of 'them', much less know who they are and where they call base…" Don said, looking up to the sky and trying to blink back the threat of tears that burned his eyes as he felt himself start to crumble because the feeling of overwhelming failure.

Surely, Raph would think that he, the genius Donatello, would have a plan to find out what happened to their brothers. He probably expected Don to know just where their brothers were, and how to get them out of whatever mess they had landed themselves in.

But he couldn't, he just _couldn't!_ Leo made the plans, Leo always knew what to do and when to do and Leo's plans _always_ worked! Don could give you facts, maybe a prediction or two, but formulate a whole plan? Donatello was convinced that whatever he would be able to conjure up would disintegrate on the first step, so unsure of his abilities was he.

Raph was, uncharacteristically, silent as Don finally stepped forward, his breathing starting to speed its pace as his hands rubbed the back of his neck. "We should… call Splinter, he needs to know what's going on… and will probably know where to go from here…" Don suggested, his voice laced with uncertainty.

"Yeh," Raph said, looking at Don. Nodding more so to himself than anyone else Don flipped open his phone, squinting his eyes against the bright light and pushed a button.

"Sensei, something's wrong…"

* * *

A raspy cough ached as it escaped his mouth, his mind cloudy as if waking from a deep and persistent coma. His limps were heavy as if weighed down by dumb bells and his eye lids felt even heavier. A low, annoyed moan pushed at his lips, which parted slowly as if they were Velcro to each other.

Leo's mind wanted to go fast, or even at normal speed, as he tried to think through what was going on, but it was crawling as a slugs pace. He felt his mind muddled, thoughts slow and drunken. Then, like a bag of bricks laced with shuriken it hit him, and everything rushed back.

With a strangled cry he forced his body upon his feet in one less then graceful movement, his eyes opening to find a swirling mass of grey in front of him and his hands thrusted behind him only to go through empty air. No katanas. His mind whirled and he felt his stomach protest loudly against the movement and before he realized it he was back on the ground, hitting it hard shoulder first without trying to catch himself.

Taking three deep, calming breaths he slowly opened his eyes again, hoping that the world would be a little more stable. Everything still swayed as if in a gentle wave but, in his stationary position, it was much easier on Leo's mind.

Still taking deep breaths Leo noted where he was. Cement incased him in, five feet in front of him (but unable to tell in his current position how much was behind him) and about eight feet tall. There was light but he couldn't see its source, so he assumed that it was coming from behind him.

He had no bindings to secure him down, and so he figured that the room was probably enclosed. Either that or whatever had nabbed him did not think that Leo would be able to escape.

He closed his eyes once more, trying to collect his memories.

_"Yeah, yeah, ok. Go find a manhole, I'm right behind you." Leo sighed, finally giving in to his youngest brothers pleas. Maybe he could talk Don into going with him later in the day, a quick run in the sewers._

_Mike nodded giving a large smile, to which Leo smiled warmly at. Sure, he did not really want to give in so easily but seeing his brother so happy did make it kind of better. _

_Leo surveyed the area, looking briefly at the stars and making a mental to go to Casey's farmhouse once the weather warmed up again in a few months. You could see every little prick of light in the nighttime sky here, unlike the in the city. Here lights and pollution smothered out the stars, making the night time sky nothing but a black covering._

_As Mikey reached the edge of the building Leo stepped forward to tell him his idea about a family vacation when something reached forward from behind and snapped around his body, smothering his surprised yelp before it even left his lips. _

_In a flash the thing, so cold and foreboding, dragged him into the shadows. He struggled against it but that only resulted in it clutching him harder, squeezing the breath from his lungs. His vision caught the sight of Mikey as his younger brother looked around, and his hearing caught the sound of Mike calling his name._

_His vision faded to black, and not because whatever dark, ominous enemy had covered his eyes. Without oxygen in his blood his mind was quickly shutting down, and he could not fight it as consciousness was stolen from him._

Leo gave another deep moan and was able to bring his hand up to rub his eyes as a headache pushed against them. Then another realization hit him. What happened to Mikey?!

Again adrenaline rushed through his system and he leaned upwards, this time settling for sitting on his rump as his eyes looked around for his brother.

And there Mikey was, lying in an awkward position with his arms twisted under him and his legs on top of each other. Leo breathed a sigh of relief when he noted that Mikey's plastron was rising and falling with every quiet breath.

Pulling himself with his arms and pushing with his knees, Leo scooted to sit next to Mikey and placed a hand on the other's neck, taking his pulse and finding it slow but not alarming so. Without too much effort Leo rolled Mike onto his shell and then pulled him into him lap, wrapping his arms around Mike's chest for warmth and, less evidently, reassurance.

* * *

Donatello hugged his coat around him as the wind picked up its speed. He waited for Raphael to jump down the newly opened manhole, his eyes watching all around him as they traveled back to the lair to get more equipment and have Splinter join their forces.

He felt as if he was floating along, unsure of what to do, unsure of how to fix this. He was Donatello, he was Mr. Fixit. You give something that's broken and he's sure to repair it quicker than any professional. Cheaper, too.

This problem had no ends, no loose screws or rusty hinges. There was no handbook that came in the packaging to tell him what to do, or at least who to call. If he googled this it would come up with 0 searches, tell him to check his spelling and try again.

How could he fix what he knew nothing about? How could he complete a problem without its variables? They had no evidence of the enemy; they had no evidence of where Leo and Mikey were; they had no idea what the _hell_ had happened on that roof top.

None. At. All.

Leaping in after Raph's bald head disappeared, Don made sure to pull the cover back over the hole in the street, and made to follow his brother.

"Should I call in some back-up, Donnah?" Raph asked, turning his torso slightly to face his brother better. Don thought for a moment as they walked at a steady pace towards the lair, knowing that Raph was referring to Casey and April.

After a sigh, Don rubbed the back of his neck and said uncertainly, "I… 'm not sure if we should yet, lets just talk to Master Splinter…"

_He'd know what to do, Sensei will fix this, he'll help us through this…_

Raph nodded, holding back a cough that threatened to explode from his throat, not trusting himself to speak in fear of breaking out into a series of coughs. If he started doing that Don, as well as Splinter, would force him to stay home.

_Like hell I am going to let that happen. I swear, Mikey, if this is some stupid joke I am going to tear you apart…_

That cough was getting painful as it pushed at his lungs, scratching his throat as he forced his mouth to stay closed and watering his eyes.

Finally it exploded, raspy coughs that racked their claws as it escaped, using its biting fury to cause more water to squeeze from his eyes. He fell to one knee and faintly felt a hand on his shoulder, Don's voice muffled from the loud coughing and sickness.

Don leaned down, rubbing Raph's shell as the dark green one reached his hand forward placed it on the floor, supporting himself on it. "Take deep breaths Raph, try to calm down," He murmured as he rummaged in his duffle bag for a bottle of water that he knew was in there.

Raph felt a plastic bottle pressed up against his hand and grabbed it, his vision was nothing more than a blur as he reached the hand that clasped the bottle up to his eyes and rubbed at them, trying to get the moisture out of them.

_Damnit, I knew that he should not have come!_ Don's mind screamed as he berated himself, _he's SICK! And now it's only going to be worse, being out in that cold weather probably did a number on his lungs…_

Donatello, with his hand still on Raph's shoulder as the older started to get his coughs under control, turned around and reached to grab his duffle bag which had been thrown to the side after he got out a water bottle, wanting to make room for the two. His fingers reached into the shadows and brushed over the soft fabric of the bag.

Then something else was touching him…. Something…. _Cold…_

With a surprised yelp Don tried to pull back only to have that cold presence wrap itself around his hand and travel with the speed of lightening up his arm. With wide eyes he yelled out again in fear and tried to pull back with all of his strength, only to be pulled harder.

Raph stood up when he heard his brother's cries of distress, trying to steady himself on his feet. After coughing for what felt like twenty minutes (but could not have been more than five) his brain was oxygen deprived and still trying to get a grip on reality.

Upon seeing Don literally be dragged into the shadows jump started that process as he reached forward and snatched Donnie's free hand as it flailed around and pulled on it. Don was quickly falling into the shadows, something pulling on him but Raphael could not see just what had a hold on him.

The bitter force had traveled all the way up his arm, making it numb. Raphael's warm hand (_which_, he reasoned for a moment, _was probably so warm because he was ill_) gripped his and he felt himself stretched between the two. The thing reached his shoulder and started wrapping around his neck, squeezing painfully tight and his cry's of surprise stopped quiet suddenly as air could no longer circulate through his lungs. Black bit at his edges sooner than he felt it should have, but there was not fighting it as it reigned over his systems.

Raph positivity roared when he felt Don's grip slacken in his own. He pulled harder and only found himself being pulled into the shadows with Donnie like some tag-a-long. But he did not let go, Don was his brother and _like hell_ he was going to give up on him.

As he was pulled into the shadows his eyes, while still watery, quickly adjusted and he nearly gasped as he finally laid eyes on what held Don in its tight grasp. It was black, swirling, thick yet he felt as if his hand would pass right through it. As it reached towards him and started to wrap around his waist he felt how cold it was, how it chilled him to the bone and brought out fear.

Yes, even big, tough, mean Raphael felt fear. And this thing exploited that which he hid so well. With another roar he let go of Don and pulled out his sais, glad that his coat was unbuttoned so they were easy to teach and starting to slash at the substance as it tried to get him.

His sai did pass through it as if it was nothing more than smoke, yet it retreated, releasing him and focusing back on Don as he hung limply in its grasp. Without thinking twice Raph dashed forward, sais crossed in front of him.

Quickly the black thing retreated, taking Don with it. Raph snarled and gripped his weapons tighter, getting ready to strike. _Once it reaches the wall it will have no where ta go…_

I reached the wall, and passed through it, Don in tow. The second that Don starting passing through the wall Raphael nearly feel over his own feet in shock, and once he reached prepared himself for whatever crazy allusion someone had set up.

And ended up smacking into the wall full force. With a grunt he rebounded backwards, falling onto his shell. Not giving his mind the time for it think through what had just happened he leapt back up and started to hit the wall with his sai's, gritting his teeth.

After a few minutes he gave up, leaning against the wall and panting. One deep breath caught in his throat and he started another round of painful coughs, putting all of his weight on the wall as he slid down until his rump hit the ground.

His hand came to his face to cover his mouth and, when placed over his beak, he was surprised to find it sticky and wet. He pulled the hand back and looked at it through blurry eyes, stunned to see red on his hand. _Blood? From where…._

He coughed again and he realized that maybe he hit that wall much harder then he originally thought and his nose had probably been dripping blood since he fell to the ground, as a matter of fact his whole body hurt. It hurt from hitting that damn wall, from coughing so damn much, from fighting that DAMN unknown monster!

Raph growled again, wanting to punch something but not sure that he wanted to hurt himself more so then he already was. After a moment of thinking he pulled out his phone, ready to call Splinter, only to see that it was currently not working. Thoroughly confused, he pulled out Mikey's which he had picked up on the roof, and found that it too was not working where it had been just fine on the roof.

Raph pulled himself up and put his weapons in his belt. He walked towards the lair, shouldering Don's duffle bag and running towards the lair as fast as his sickened state could. It had taken twenty minutes to get there, and he opened the door panting heavily and fighting back another round of coughs.

"My son, where is Donatello?" Splinter appeared out of nowhere, worry apparent on his face.

"He-They-It took hi-" Raphael did not get any farther in explaining what had happened as he fell to his knees in another coughing fit, body shivering and eyes watering once more.

_AN: Ok there's chapter two! Please leave me a message after the beep!_

_That means review. Please?  
_


	3. a silly spook might sit by your side

_AN: Oh my, I meant to have this up on Halloween day but, alas. I didn't. Anyways, sorry for the slight delay and please enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Omg I dont own the turtles. Sad, I know._

* * *

Time was hard to measure when you could not see the sun or the drifting stars to mark it by, but Leo was pretty sure it had been about three hours since he had woken up. That, however, was no judgment for how long he and Mikey had been abducted because he had no idea how long he had been unconscious. It could have been an hour, fifteen minutes, or a whole day. He knew, without a doubt, that Raphael, Donatello, and Master Splinter knew that they were gone and were working hard to get them back. It was only a matter of time before the rescue party got them out of this mess.

Michelangelo had yet to wake up, and Leo had yet to let him out of his grasp. The room had not warmed over time, although Leo felt the numbness of his body trying to get used to the temperature set in two hours ago. He rocked his body to keep himself warm and rubbed at Mike's arms and legs to bring warmth back into them as well.

It was a blessing, he supposed, that Mikey was breathing fine and his heart rate was normal. Whatever had drugged them was not having much adverse effects other than keeping him in a deep sleep. Leo wished his youngest brother would wake up, not only to further assure him that he was, in fact, just fine but because Mikey was sure to show him the silver lining or, if nothing else, give him hope.

Leo sighed and started rubbing at Mikey's arms again; enjoying the warmth the friction brought his fingers as much as knowing that he was keeping his brother warm. His fingers brushed up against the lone nunchuck that was still haltered in his belt, the other one he surmised was lost in battling whatever foe they had found themselves entangled with.

Why had they not taken Michelangelo's weapons when they frisked his away? Perhaps they did not realize that they were-

"S'ld" came Mikey's mumbling voice, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hey Mikey, what was that?" Leo questioned, trying to force his voice to be calm. Mike had always responded better when Leo was (or at least acted) calm.

Mike moaned slightly, shifted his weight and leaning more into Leo's warmth, "'S cold…" he said, opening his eyes a little.

Leo hummed and kept up his efforts to get Mikey warmer, "How do you feel?"

"'M head hurts… a lot…" Mikey, clenched his eyes closed as even the dismal light hurt his eyes. Gently, Leo placed the back of his hand up against the other's forehead, dismayed to find that it _was_ a little above temperature. How did he not notice that before?

"Anything else?"

"Mhn. No." Mike tried his hand at opening his eyes again, trying to resist the watering that they wanted to do, and looked up at Leo, "What happened, dude?"

"I was hoping you could answer that," Leo said truthfully, looking at Mikey's blue eyes as they started to clear, "I was out before you were. Do you remember anything?"

"Uh." Mikey thought for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts with obvious effort. "You wasn't there and then… someone… someTHING got me… Everythin's kinda fuzzy, man."

"It's ok, just rest." Leo looked around again at their boxed in area. No windows, no door. No escape…

Mike was silent for many heartbeats and then asked, "The other's comin' for a rescue?"

Leo pulled off a tight smile, "As always, I'm sure."

This succeeded in getting Mikey to smile gently and lay back to enjoy the slight warmth that Leo provided.

Another two hours had passed before anything happened again. Mikey was awake with his headache being held at bay by simply not thinking about it too much as they tried to distract each other from the situation at hand.

"I dunno, Leo, think she'd want a picture? What about a book?" It just so happened that April's birthday was in two weeks, give or take how long they had been down here, and Mikey had somehow jumped to that topic and was currently discussing what they should get her.

"A picture is not a bad idea, but she has so many of us already," Leo said, hiding the slight wince at that. So many pictures, yes April had a lot of _evidence_ of their existence. It's not that Leo did not trust the human, he did, she was like his sister, but you could not trust _others_ not to have sticky fingers and find the things all on their own.

"Ok then, book." Mike said, rubbing his arms again. He had long ago sat up on his own and had kept himself alert, "What book does she want? Or better yet, what book does she not have?"

Leo smiled slightly, nodding slowly at Mike's small joke.

"We could get her an antique," Leo said, biting his lip while thinking of what kind of old object she would like.

"Where would we buy it, at a _competing_ antique store?" Mikey laughed as Leo gave a small shrug, "That's like, so wrong on _so_ many levels."

"Sensei probably ha-" Leo suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing somewhere behind Mikey.

Immediately tensing up, Mikey turned slowly to look behind him. His head way around when Leo suddenly threw himself forward, wrapping his strong arms around Michelangelo's shoulders and pulled the younger into his chest.

Before Mikey could even begin to protest or question a cold, so alien yet so uncannily familiar, thing wrapped around his back. He felt it move, quick as a striking snake, to grasp his arms. It pulled for a moment, that black swirling mass, trying to yank him off of Leo.

Leo simply held Mikey tighter, pushing the air out of the younger's lungs and growling at the unknown enemy.

Mike could almost feel the being shrug and then the mass moved and encased Leonardo in its grasp as well, allowing him to hold onto Mikey as it help them both in place.

Leo's grip on Mikey did not falter as the thing squeezed them harder then was necessary. He was still stunned at what had happened. He was just talking to Mikey when something shifted in the shadows. It had seemed that the shadows moved, _breathed._ Then it reached out, slowly, as if testing the dismal light in the room. By that time Leo had grabbed Mikey, and the shadows had assured itself that the light would not kill it, it leapt forward, resulting in putting the two brothers in their current predicament.

Opening his eyes, Mikey could not see a thing. His face was pressed in Leo's plastron, and any light that might have assisted him in seeing that yellow chest was smothered out by the black thing that was crushing him and Leo.

Whimpering Mikey tried his hardest to clasp his arms around Leo, his whimpers rising in volume when the ebony monster forbade him from doing so, holding his forearms closer to his sides.

Hearing his youngest brother's distress calls Leo murmured, his mouth nearly aligned with that they considered his ear, trying to calm down the other terrapin as well as himself. "Don't fight it, just relax, it loosens up once you relax, shhh," Mikey, like a good follower, started to calm down, his arms shaking slightly not only from fear, but also from cold embrace they had found themselves in.

Leo, as well, could not see as the swirling mass moved in front, behind, around him. Its grip had not tightened since when Mikey had tried to move, neither has it loosened.

It held them for another five minutes, its hold on them unchanging, until suddenly, without warning, it tightened in an unbelievably tight grip, so hard and quick, that Leo heard the air hiss out of his brothers mouth, and heard himself do very much the same. They both struggled to get oxygen back into their systems, only resulting in the thing holding them even tighter in defiance of them.

Just when Leo felt himself start to black out because of the lack of air the thing let them both go and retreated back into the shadows. They crashed to the floor, separating other than one hand grasping the other's.

Swallowing breath with his mouth agape, Mikey used his free hand to rub at his eyes as the blackness started to flee and was able to make out Leo doing very much the same.

"You ok?" Leo rasped as he slowly started to lean upwards, pulling Michelangelo along with him.

"No…" Mikey managed to cough out, tucking his knees up to his plastron, "But I will be, just give me... a… mo…ment…" His speak was broken up not because of coughing but because of what he saw just beyond Leo's shoulder.

"…Donnie?"

Leo whipped around, rotating on his rump and let his eyes fall to the still form of Donatello sprawled out on the ground. Without hesitation he leapt forward, Mike not far behind him, and started to check up on him.

Pulse; steady and strong. Breathing; clear and regular. Considering Mikey's slight temperature that he held not long ago he also felt Don's forehead, somehow unsurprised to find it also at a slightly higher than normal heat. In any case he pulled the trench coat that Don still had on tighter around the cold turtle.

Mikey was patting Don's cheek, trying to get him to wake up. Don's skin felt cold, but then again so did his own after being held for so long by the cold enemy. "Donnie? Don, come on, wake up… come on Don."

Leo did not stop Mikey in his attempts at rousing their purple clad brother, but knew that it was a empty effort. Michelangelo took some time before he awoke from his induced slumber, so why would Don wake so quickly?

Donatello, however, always held this ability to surprise everyone around him.

"Nhnnn." Don slurred his moan, his eye lids tightening but not opening.

"Don!" Mikey called, making Don wince at the volume of the exclamation.

"Donnie," Leo called in a softer tone, his finger brushing the others cheek, "Don, you awake?"

Another loud moan before the genius submitted a groaned out, "Noooo…"

Smiling, Mikey reached down and grabbed Don's hand, "Heya Donnie, you come here often?"

Finally allowing eyes to crack open, Don looked at Mikey with a dismayed stare, looking disgruntled. Mike's smile grew and commented under his breath, but loud enough for them all to hear, "I'll take that as a no…"

Leo helped his brother sit up, rubbing his shell in comforting circles as Don placed his head between his raised knees. "My head hurts," came Don's muffled voice from between his legs as he pulled the coat closer to his body, trying to block out the cold.

"Yeah, that happened to both of us as well," Leo commented, than his eyes caught something. Don's bo staff, or at least half of it, was in its place behind his shell. It was splintered at the bottom end, and upon closer inspection he noticed straining to the top, slightly warped as if it was under great stress for some time but not enough for it to snap like the bottom did.

Gently Leo slipped it out of Donnie's belt and placed it on the ground next to them, not wanting the jagged tip to end up _into_ any of his brothers or himself.

"You hurt anywhere else?" Leo asked after he placed the weapon aside, his hand resting on Don's shoulder as Mikey's hand had clasped the other.

"Not really," Don said after lifting his head form his knees, "You ok?" His gentle, worried gaze looked at Mikey and then drifted to Leo.

"No, no we're fine, we're both fine. Do you remember what happened? Where's Raph, and Master Splinter?"

"Whoa there, one question at a time, Leo. My head hurts too much for too many at a time." Don took one long breath before letting it out all out in a rush, "I don't really remember what happened. Me and Raph went to look for you, we found the rooftop and your shell cell," his eyes were on Mike again, who nodded as he knew that the thing would be left there.

"Which! Oh yah!" Don reached into his trench coat pocket and pulled out the shell cell, flicking it open. His shoulders visibly fell when the device did nothing.

"They don't work," Leo said, fishing out his own phone and opening it for the purple clad warrior, "I already checked."

With a short "Hm." Don took Leo's phone and set them aside to work on later. "Well, anyway. Me and Raph couldn't _see_ what had happened, it was so strange. No tracks of the enemy, but I guess that's because it does not walk."

Mikey started rubbing his own arms again and Don took off his trench coat, draping it over the two of them and leaving one end open for Leo, who shook his head and sat in front of his brothers. "Then what happened?"

"We went back to get Sensei and some other supplies when Raph started coughing and it was getting bad, oh he's so _sick_ now." Don winced again, putting his head in his hands and rubbing at his forehead.

"Then the shadows… they _attacked_ me or something. I could not see, it was covering my face," Mike inserted a mumbled, _'Yeah it likes to do that,' _but Don ignored him and kept going, "I heard Raph trying to fight it, I think I went unconscious during that."

"So Raph got away, though?" Mikey's hopeful voice came from Don's side.

"If he's not here then I would surmise that he got away, got to Sensei." Don said, though his voice betrayed him in its unsureness.

Mikey, ever innocent and naïve, either did not catch that tone in his brothers voice or choose to ignore it because he smiled, glad that there was still hope for a rescue.

A few minutes passed in silence that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable as the boys leaned into each other for warmth.

"I'm hungry." Mikey said after his stomach rumbled loudly in the small room.

Leo smiled, laughing lightly, "I can't believe that you held in that comment for _this_ long!" Generally Mike would proclaim his hunger after five minutes of being in a place that held no food.

"Yeah, well, I had _other_ things on my mind. Like, how were abducted by aliens!" the youngest exclaimed.

Don barked a laugh, ignoring the pain it brought to his head, "Aliens_, please_."

"Oh, come on dude." Mikey looked at Don with one eyebrow raised high, "Like it _isn't_ possible. You know that aliens are real just as much as I do! Or was that all one big fat dream?"

"No, Mikey, your right, aliens I suppose could have done this. But this does not _feel_ like alien M.O."

"Oh, and you're an expert on how aliens do things?" Mikey smiled to show them that he was just playing around. Meaningless banter to pass time.

"More so then you'll ever be, Michel_angelo!"_ Don said, rolling his eyes.

"Ohhh, dude. If I sat down for _half_ the time you do and read the books you do I could _so_ surpass you."

Leo now laughed, "Yeah, because you sit down with books without pictures all the time."

"If they made a comic book about polymer science I would SO read it."

"Wow Mikey," Don's face showed a bright smile, "I can't believe that you know the words polymer science!"

"I can read the big, gold lettering on the spine of one of your biggest books in your library, Dona_tello_." Mikey singsonged back.

"And you even _pronounced_ it right!" Don was laughing so hard now that tears were collecting at the corners of his eyes and his head was pounding even more than before.

Mike huffed, his bottom lip pulling forward in a puppy dog looking pout. It was betrayed, however, when the tips of his lips tried to pull up in a smile.

* * *

Splinter was silent as he wringed a wet rag into the shallow basin and then placed it on Raphael's burning forehead. His son sifted, mumbling fevered nothings, and tried to pull his eyes open.

"Gotta… gotta get Don'n'Mike'n'Leo… Mastah Splintah, I gotta find 'em… They need mah help," His voice was raspy and slurred from his sickness.

Splinter quietly shushed his son, grabbing another rag in different basin that was filled with clean water and dripping some moisture into his son's lips, trying to keep dehydration at bay.

After Raphael had collapsed, Splinter had yet to have a chance to go anywhere else, his son's sick body demanding his complete attention. Raphael's temperature had risen at an alarming rate, and the old rat had managed to get only a few logical sentences out of his son before the turtle took a dip into delirium.

His worry for his other three sons had multiplied as his one other son lay sick and out of commission. He had had no contact from the others, and from Raphael's words he knew that Donatello had also been taken from this fiend.

That brought up another question that constantly nagged at his mind. What was this enemy? From what Raphael had managed to mumble this did not sound like The Shredder, nor Stockman. Bishop was a possibility as that man dipped into many occupations, yet this did not _feel _like Bishop. Could it be a new foe?

That possibility seemed strong.

With another sigh he refreshed the rag on Raphael's head once again and stepped up, walking quickly but calmly to the cord phone that was on the wall in the kitchen and dialed April's number. He needed assistance in keeping Raphael well, and it may allow him to search for evidence on his own.

After a quick call to the human they called friend, even sister and daughter, he went back to Raph who had opened his eyes once again and was looking around, seeming to keep a hazy eye on the shadows.

"Mastah Splintah," He slurred, his head lulling towards his father as he rodent walked in, his eyes taking a wide swing before resting on the rat, "It dun like mah sais… it dun like mah sais…"

* * *

_AN: Ok if anyone is having issues with the pagebreaks, thank you Ming for showing me, what you do is click at the end of your last word right before you need the page breaks and then press the pagebreak button and then save changes. Thats the only way it works that we can figure out. Again, thank you Ming for reading this over and I hope you all enjoyed!_

_If you liked the little humor I allowed in this please go check out 'Grounded' by Crackernchinkinc, its a fic by me and my good friend Willowfly and its chalk full of humor! Its her first attempt so please review and tell her if you think she did a good job!_

_Please leave me a review 3  
_


	4. shrouded in a daft disguise

_AN: Sorry that this took a little longer to get up, school is mean :( Anyways, please enjoy the chapter. And thank you Willowfly and Ming for betaing for me.  
_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles, this is just purely for fun and to further my writing skills._

* * *

In twenty minutes April made it to the lair with her arms brimming with supplies: electric blankets, bottles of water, cans of soup, and a heap of medications. While she had been worried she covered it up with ease, immediately sitting next to Raphael without a trace of it lining her face. The wise rat said goodbye to his son with a soft brush of his fingers over the turtles burning forehead, wishing him luck in defeating the sickness. Splinter left not long after, trying to remember how April had said to work the cellular phone that he could never quite figure out, just in case he needed to call her or anyone else.

Raphael's scent was easy to track, so sick and ill it smelt, to the spot where Donatello's own scent, that of coffee and metal, began. Splinter's long, knotted fingers pulled out one of Raphael's sai, the other left with April for protection, and held the weapon at his side as a precaution.

_"It dun like mah sais… it dun like mah sais…"_

Splinter's beady, black eyes carefully studied the tracks in the thin layer of mud along the old sewer floors, left behind by the recent flood. Scrapings of two toed feet were everywhere, showing in amazing detail what had happened; if you knew how to read them right. He could tell right where Donatello was first taken my surprise, the long scores of his heels as he was dragged backwards, the deep impressions of Raphael leaping forward to rescue his brother.

Splinter carefully followed the marks deep into the shadows until they quite suddenly disappeared into a wall. With gentle fingers he traced the now light heel scratch.

_Donatello is not fighting it now, unconscious perhaps?_

But then, he paused as his nails nudged up against the solid wall.

With a look of concentration, he closed his eyes and let his hands wander over the surface of the rock face, unsure of what he was looking for, but knowing he could find it. It was solid, so however this evil got through it was most likely to be done by magic or some kind of technology that he did not quite understand.

With a deep breath, Splinter opened up his heart and closed his mind, probing for any spiritual essence that might have been left there.

And find an _essence_ he did.

It was a dark, swirling mass, an echo of whatever _creature _had left it behind. While its presence did not radiate evil, it was more certainly composed of it. Splinter carefully approached it with his mind, tendrils of his conscience reaching out with caution towards its darkness. The echo reacted, its own tendrils snapping outwards towards Splinters, trying to latch on.

As it was, the thing was merely an echo of the original, and so its tendrils simply passed through his, unable to affect or defend itself against his being. Splinter's own mind surged forward, reassured that this thing could not harm him, and proceeded to study it.

The closer he came, the colder he felt. Even this echo of evil was colder than anything he had ever encountered before. With one last push he encased the thing within his mind, and then, used thinner vines to shift through it.

He gasped out loud, though no one had heard, not even himself. Under that cold was pure, furious anger. It simmered in the cold, bubbling and pushing at its boundaries even though the cold kept it in its place. The anger, so hot and enraged, bit at him even though it could not do him harm. Gritting his chisel teeth, Splinter pushed onwards once more.

In the dead center came five harshly whispered words:

_MINE!_

_MINE!_

_MINE!

* * *

  
_

April's brow furrowed in worry as she yet again replaced the wet cloth on Raphael's head. His temperature had, thankfully gone down, and he had been resting ever since. She that the turtles tended to be hit hard when sickness snuck up on them, being mostly cold-blooded assisted in that fact. It would seem, however, that Raphael's body was fighting the illness with an anger that could only be matched by Raphael himself.

Splinter had been gone for well over an hour, so the others had to have been gone for quite some time. She dearly hoped that they were ok. The idea that they could be injured or worse frightened her more than anything else.

April was, in essence, their older sister, even sometimes considered a motherly figure. She loved them more than anything else at the moment; they were the closest thing she had to family. The turtles acted as her brothers, and Splinter as her wise old father. They all taught her, laughed with her, protected her. And now they could be danger, and she could do nothing more than sit and wait.

_At least I am doing the best I can_, she thought to herself as she readjusted the blanket on Raph, letting her finger slide against his cheek for a moment. Hmm'ing to herself she placed the back of her hand to his forehead, pleased to feel that the temperature was now even lower. Raphael was a strong in body and soul, as was proven by the way his immune system was beating out this sickness quicker then April had ever seen any of them win against an illness.

Just as she was thinking that he was bound to wake up soon, his head tossed to the side, eyes flickering behind his lids.

"Raph?" She called, gently rubbing at his green arms, "Open your eyes, come on…"

Raph let out a low moan, husky from illness. "P'rl?" he slurred, his eyes finally cracking open.

"Hey," April smiled, white teeth flashing in the dank sewer air, "How are you feeling?"

"Ungh, like I got ran over." He pushed his head back into the pillow, trying to organize his muddled thoughts. He _knew_ something had happened, something bad, something so _so_ bad… the illness, however, was not yet finished with him, so everything was coming back slowly, and only if he forced it to do so.

"April, where…. Where's everyone?"

April sighed quietly, averting her eyes to look at a _mighty interesting_ space on the wall.

Feeling panic begin to filter through his system, Raphael immediately leaned up and ignored the dizziness that took control of him, "April!?"

"I-they-Splinter-he…"April took a sharp breath, her eyes finally meeting up with Raphael's, "We're, Splinter and I that is, we're not sure what happened. Master Splinter went to go see what he could find and I stayed here to take care of you, you've been sick…"

Raph took a moment to process this information, memories of the rooftop, him feeling like _shit_, coughing the sewers, Don being taken, him entering the lair and collapsing…

Raphael rubbed at his slightly bloodshot eyes with the heel of his hand, letting out a disgruntled breath. So much had happened and what… he was sick. He was sick and ill and hardly felt as if he could stand, let alone help.

"How longs Mastah Splintah been gone for?" He asked.

A feeling of slight comfort washed over April as she felt pleased that Raphael's voice was already on track to sounding somewhat normal, "Just over an hour, he brought his shell cell with him though, just in ca-"

"That won't help him," Raph muttered, "The thing breaks 'em."

"Breaks the… shell cells?"

"Yeh," He felt around his waist and then looked down, dismayed to find that his belt was gone. April, seeing him do this, turned around and grabbed the belt that was lain behind her, handing it to him. He gave a small nod in thanks and then fished out the two phones that were in it, his own and Mike's, and handed them to her.

April flicked one open and found the screen black, then opened the other only to find it in the same situation. Standing up, she walked into the kitchen and placed them both on the chargers that sat in there, waiting to see some kind of indication to tell that they were charging.

No such luck. Perplexed, she half shrugged to herself and then looked back at Raphael before filling up a glass of water and taking it to him.

"Drink slowly," She advised before handing him the cold glass.

He heeded her words; fully knowing what would happen if he didn't. He'd gurgled down enough water when he should've taken it slow and paid the price to know that he should take it in small sips.

April went back out into the kitchen and fetched one of the cells off of the charger, into Don's lab for his small equipment tool box, and went back to sit next to Raphael. As the turtle drank and got his groundings, she unscrewed the backing, pulling it off gently only to let out a small whistle at what she found.

Raph, turned to look at her, craning his neck in his efforts to see what had caused her reaction.

"Waz it?"

"The circuitry, it's… completely fried." She said in slight awe. With her fingertips she pried loose some wires, their rubber covering melted so that it painted the once green chip.

"Whatever did this did it quickly," she pulled up more things, her eyes devouring what she could. "It melted the inside yet the outside seems to be unaffected. Not only that but, from the looks of things, only the plastic materials are affected, melted or disfigured."

She tilted her head as she continued her exploration of the irreparably damaged guts of the phone. "See, the metal, the wires and parts of the chip; left completely alone."

"Whys that?" Raph questioned, although he knew that it was doubtful that he would understand whatever explanation that April could come up with.

"Well, the melting point of plastic is much lower than that of most metals" she mused before looking up at Raph's slightly confused face and gave a small apologetic smile. Sometimes she forgot that she was not working with Donnie on these things. "The plastic melts at a lower temperature then metal, so whatever damaged it was hot enough to melt plastic, but not the metal."

"So then why didn't tha outside melt?" the turtle questioned, picking up the backing that she had placed down and turning it over in his hands. He could have sworn Don had said that this part was plastic.

"Hum," April said thoughtfully, turning over her piece and looking at the cover, "The density of this plastic compared to the inside-" she looked up at Raph again and gave another small smile, "I mean, it might be a ….stronger plastic, so maybe it melts at a higher temperature. But I'm not sure. It _should_ show signs of damage…"

Biting her lower lip, April turned it back over and, using a small screwdriver, popped out the main computer chip. Because the flat of it was made from green plastic it was warped, so much so that the metal bits that attach to it were twisted or simply disconnected.

She placed that to the side and looked back down at the part still in her hand. The back of LCD screen was most of what was left of the thing, one big dried up bubble from the whatever had melted everything else sat still unbursted in the screen's backing. With narrowed eyes and steady hands she carefully pried away the screen, popping it away from its shell.

The front of the screen was unharmed, but the back was a whole different story. Along with that plastic bubble came a whole mess other never-to-be-used-again parts, melted beyond repair.

With a bewildered expression, she placed this last piece down and looked back up at Raph who was still absentmindedly fingering the top of the shell cell. Looking down at the pieces of the shell she saw the call buttons.

_Leo, Don, Raph, Sensei, April, and Casey._

Which could mean that this phone was Michelangelo's.

Hiding a saddened frown she placed her hand on top of Raph's, pulling his wandering mind back to her, back to Earth and back to reality. "We'll find them," she said, her voice sincere.

Raph said nothing, only looked back down at the human's delicate hand as it covered his own.

* * *

With one misty tendril, Splinter carefully shifted through the darkness. Finding a thing of interest, he carefully opened himself to it, keeping his guards high for any surprises that might be lurking underneath. Once he was sure no harm would come, he opened his mind fully to the bit of information, like a memory or a dream, and digested what visions it would allow.

_Shadows; waiting, watching. Flash of green and blue, and another flash, orange and green... Orange off to the side; out of sight. Grabbing Blue, taking him without a sound; captured. Orange, alert and nervous; looking for Blue... Reaching out, grabbing Orange, fighting for a hold... Holding tighter, pulling closer, squeezing, crushing…_

_ Orange no longer struggled; unconscious, fainted. Retreat back to the base..._

Splinter withdrew from the memory, his fur quivering from the visions of his sons being taken by this monster, watching capture through the enemies hungry eyes.

Knowing that he probably had no time to waste, Splinter pushed onwards, trying to process what he had seen as he pulled his mind away. He could not let his mind become muddled with his worry; his thoughts had to be clear if he was to be ready.

Then suddenly, another memory from the echo flashed before his eyes, the freshest of them all. Hesitant at first, Splinter approached vision slowly, with careful deliberation. He knew that this would be of Donatello, the newest memory of the enemy when it left behind its imprint echoing through the spirit world. While he did not wish to see his son in pain, he knew he could not turn away.

Embracing again the strange heat of that icy cold darkness, he grit his teeth as the echo touched his mind.

_Two terrapins, Purple and Red. Traveling, walking quickly as if rushed. Red was stumbling; the putrid stench of sickness seeping from his pores. Red falling; expelling air from his chest in quickly… raspy like a death rattle. Purple helping, shuffling through his bag. _

_Ah, sweet opportunity calls! Reaching, snatching, stealing, grabbing... Yet another prey! Purple entangled, fighting... Red getting up on unsteady feet; stumbling close behind the other._

_ Tighter, squeeze… silence the struggling one! Pulling, ripping deeper into the shadows. _

_Oh, what is this? Confusion… _

_ Red emerges in the shadows. Perfect! Another victory for the fruitful night. Reaching again as Purple finally stills, feeling Red's warm body within reach..._

_Flash of silver! Fear! Run! Retreat! Red has evil! Pull away!_

_Latch tighter onto Purple. Escape into the wall where the evil cannot follow… _

Splinter's eyes shot open and all the air left his lungs as he plunged back into the real world. It had taken an unknown amount of time to untangle himself from the echo, so sticky and forceful was that essence, those terrible blackened tendrils of evil.

Calming his breath, his eyes looked to the wall and then drifting back down the scuff marks carved into the ground. Letting his finger trail along one long scrape, his eyes sharpened. He had not found any information on where this thing had taken his sons. He could spend longer here sifting through the echo's memories, but they were quickly starting to fade, and anything of importance was sure to be damaged, if not lost all together.

Standing up, Splinter turned to leave when he felt a terrifying grip upon his being, so terrible and so strong, he nearly expected to see the shadow of the Shredder looming overhead. Gripping Raphael's sai, clutched tightly in his paw, he swung around, protecting his mind with every metal block he knew.

He could feel its anger as he forced it far away. Seeing that it could not penetrate the rodent by mind, it instead attacked in body. Gathering its strength, it emerged from the darkness, the color of black night itself. The wall's shadow seemed to swell, expanded and deepened. But Splinter remained steady, holding his ground as the creature emerged.

It had no shape, no form, only a a pulsing mass of black and thickened shadow seeping from the wall. It had no face, no top or bottom. It just _was_.

Splinter held the sai in front of him in a defensive position, watching the thing as much as it seemed to watch him. Experimentally, the old rodent moved his son's sai forward in a slow sweep and the thing cowered back into the wall, coming forward once again when the sai was back at Splinter's side.

"What have you done with my sons," Splinter demanded, his voice sure and confident.

The thing pulsated, seeming to breath. _Sonnssssss_, came that same airy, harsh whisper in he had felt within his mind. The rodent narrowed his eyes and repeated his question.

_Sonnssss… _The thing swayed side to side, almost as if pacing, _Sonsss sons sons… Yourssss?_

"Yes, _my_ sons. Where are they?" He had to force his voice into something that resembled calm and sure.

_Ssssafe, they is saaaafe… _

Changing subject, Splinter questioned, "Why did you attack them?"

_Aaaattack, ssssteal, taake… MIIINE! Neeeeeed fooor ME!_

Splinter's fur bristled in anger, and for a moment, he felt as if he might scream at the creature.

They were his! His sons, his loved ones!

Taking one long breath, he gathered back his thoughts and instead asked the creature again in the same, composed tone. "Why do you need them?"

_Toooo beee… toooo be… To beeee… _

"To be what?"

The thing seemed to hiss in annoyance, its edges quivering. _Not…sssupposed to bee talkiiing… Communicatiiiion... Baaad…_

"No communication solves no problems," Splinter stated wisely.

_Probloooms… Weee haaaavee proooblemssss?_

"Yes, we do. You have taken my sons, and I desire to have them back."

_Buuuut neeeeed…._

"Why do you need them?"

_TOO MANY QUESTIONS!_

Suddenly the thing broke the metal connection, snapping out like a whip at Splinter only to be repelled back by a flash of silver and the unmistakeable taste of metal. Within a second it had retreated back into the wall, vanished.

Splinter made a move to go after it only to see that it had gone where he could not follow. Hanging his head he gently pulled out his phone, opening it with delicate movements. The backlight to the cell flickered, trying in vain to stay alit, but eventually sputtered out, rendered dead and useless.

Without hesitation, Splinter turned and started on his quick journey back home, with many unanswered questions still lingering upon his mind.

* * *

_AN: Well there's chapter four! I know that we did not see the others, you will have to wait for next chapter. I hope that this one was just as fun as the others even without those three! I'm sorry to say that the next chapter will take even LONGER because college teachers have given me assessments on how well I can do things and it will take awhile to get them done right, you know? _

_Oh, tell me how I did with Splinter, cause he's kinda a pain in the you-know-what! xD_


End file.
